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Likutei Amarim
Chapter 6וְהִנֵּה זֶה לְעוּמַּת זֶה עָשָׂה אֱלֹהִים.
Now it is axiomatic that God made this corresponding to that. The whole of existence is structured on a correspondence between good and evil.
כִּי כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית כְּלוּלָה מֵעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת קְדוֹשׁוֹת
Just as the divine soul contains ten holy sefirot As discussed in chapter 3, the divine soul possesses ten attributes that both correspond to the ten supernal sefirot and derive from them.
וּמִתְלַבֶּשֶׁת בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה לְבוּשִׁים קְדוֹשִׁים,
and is clothed in three holy garments, Since the divine soul is exclusively devoted to the endeavor of cleaving to God and uniting with Him, it is manifest through holy garments, which constitute the ideas, words, and deeds of the Torah and its precepts.
כָּךְ הַנֶּפֶשׁ דְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא מִקְּלִיפּוֹת נוֹגַהּ
so too the soul of the sitra aḥara , which stems from the kelippa called noga This is the animal soul, or vital soul, which derives from the sitra aḥara, the "other side," and which in the Jew comes from kelippat noga, the "glowing husk," as opposed to the utterly impure kelippot. Though kelippat noga is a husk, something that obscures the divine light, it is not utterly dark. In a certain sense, it represents an intermediate state between impurity and holiness.
הַמְּלוּבֶּשֶׁת בְּדַם הָאָדָם,
and is embodied in a person's blood, The animal soul is embodied in the blood in order to animate the body, as the verse states, "For the life [nefesh ] of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). Essentially, the blood serves as the nexus between the nonphysical soul and the corporeal body. The soul that is found in the blood is the animal soul that stems from kelippat noga and is that which provides a Jew with his vitality, his life force, along with his divine soul. In this sense, the animal soul serves as a bridge between the divine soul and the physical body, allowing the divine soul to connect with the body.
כְּלוּלָה מֵעֶשֶׂר כִּתְרִין דִּמְסָאֲבוּתָא,
is comprised of the ten crowns of impurity. Just as the divine soul possesses ten holy attributes, corresponding to the ten sefirot, the animal soul is comprised of ten "crowns of impurity." We refer to the attributes of the animal soul not as sefirot but as crowns in order to distinguish them from the holy attributes of the divine soul. The term also has a deeper significance. In a certain sense, the forces of evil collectively relate to the attribute called Keter, Crown. The sefira of Keter is not of a piece with the other sefirot, but is extrinsic to them and encompassing them, just as a crown encircles the head. By the same token, the forces of evil, which must also receive their life force from the side of holiness, receive their vitality in an external manner, in which the sustenance encompasses them from above, out of necessity, and not from a nurturing bestowal that reflects a desire for inner connection, as is the case with the supernal sefirot. Moreover, the power that evil holds over man derives not from comprehended and internalized truths but from base, unconscious drives that stem from the level of Keter, the level that represents the faculties of desire and will.
שֶׁהֵן שֶׁבַע מִדּוֹת רָעוֹת הַבָּאוֹת מֵאַרְבַּע יְסוֹדוֹת רָעִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל וְשֵׂכֶל הַמּוֹלִידָן,
These are the seven evil attributes, which stem from the four aforementioned evil elements (see chap. 1) and the intellect that generates them. As is the case with the holy attributes of the divine soul, the evil attributes of the animal soul have their rationale. They too need a cognitive basis as a reference point in order for them to operate. Yet this intellect is not independent of the evil attributes, transcending them as with the intellectual faculties associated with the realm of holiness; there, the emotive attributes are generated by the cognitive attributes but are not an integral part of the intellect that produces them. On the other hand, the intellect that generates the evil attributes is embedded within the evil attribute itself. It cannot make a decision that runs contrary to the will of that attribute because it shares the same desire and inclination. Its only function is to produce and help develop the attribute's particular characteristics. In a sense, the evil attribute itself begets the intellect for its own selfish purposes in order to expand and achieve its desires.
הַנֶּחֱלָק לְשָׁלֹשׁ שֶׁהֵן: חָכְמָה בִּינָה וָדַעַת – מְקוֹר הַמִּדּוֹת. כִּי הַמִּדּוֹת הֵן לְפִי עֵרֶךְ הַשֵּׂכֶל,
This intellect is divided into three aspects, namely, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, which are the source of the attributes, since the attributes are expressed commensurate with the quality of the intellect. In order for any attribute, any drive or impulse, to be manifest in reality and, more importantly, in order for it to acquire the characteristics that make it a full-fledged desire for a specific thing, the intellect must provide it with certain criteria: What should it desire? Why is the thing desirable? And how can it pursue its desire?
כִּי הַקָּטָן חוֹשֵׁק וְאוֹהֵב דְּבָרִים קְטַנִּים פְּחוּתֵי הָעֵרֶךְ, לְפִי שֶׁשִּׂכְלוֹ קָטָן וְקָצָר לְהַשִּׂיג דְּבָרִים יְקָרִים יוֹתֵר מֵהֶם.
This is empirically demonstrated as follows: A child desires and loves trivial things of petty value since his intellect is too immature and deficient to apprehend things of greater value. A young child will make a small toy, a thing of little value, the object of his desire and envy. This is not because his desires are inherently directed toward such things but because his mind is not mature enough to appreciate things of greater and more abstract value. The object of his desire is confined to things he can relate to and understand. Things that an adult might desire are not things that appeal to a child, since the child does not yet possess a clear understanding of the nature of those items.
וְכֵן מִתְכַּעֵס וּמִתְקַצֵּף מִדְּבָרִים קְטַנִּים,
Likewise, he gets angry and annoyed on account of petty matters, What is true of the attribute of kindness, which is expressed as love, is also the case with the attribute of restraint, which can be expressed as anger and fear. A child becomes angry over trivial things, because things that adults perceive as important and real are beyond the range of his understanding. A person will not be attracted to or repulsed by something he cannot perceive as desirable or repulsive. Such things will simply be neutral to him.
וְכֵן בְּהִתְפָּאֲרוּת
and likewise with regard to boastfulness The same is true of the attribute of beauty, or tiferet, which can be negatively expressed as boastfulness and self-glorification. A child prides himself on petty achievements because these are comprehensible to his intellect.
וּשְׁאָר מִדּוֹת.
and theother attributes. The same dynamic applies to all other attributes: The framework of evil is exactly the same as the framework of good, down to the smallest detail.
וְעֶשֶׂר בְּחִינוֹת אֵלּוּ הַטְּמֵאוֹת, כְּשֶׁאָדָם מְחַשֵּׁב בָּהֶן אוֹ מְדַבֵּר אוֹ עוֹשֶׂה – הֲרֵי מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ שֶׁבְּמוֹחוֹ, וְדִבּוּרוֹ שֶׁבְּפִיו וְכֹחַ הַמַּעֲשִׂיִּי שֶׁבְּיָדָיו וּשְׁאָר אֵיבָרָיו נִקְרָאִים "לְבוּשֵׁי מְסָאֲבוּ״ לְעֶשֶׂר בְּחִינוֹת אֵלּוּ הַטְּמֵאוֹת, שֶׁמִּתְלַבְּשׁוֹת בָּהֶן בִּשְׁעַת מַעֲשֶׂה אוֹ דִּבּוּר אוֹ מַחֲשָׁבָה.
With regard to these ten impure faculties, when a person employs them to think, speak, or act, then the thought in his brain, the speech in his mouth, and the power of action in his hands and his other limbs are referred to as the impure garments of these ten impure faculties, which clothe themselves in these garments during the act, speech, or thought. When a person activates the attributes of the animal soul, when he actualizes one of these impulses through one of the faculties of his body, whether thought, speech, or action, that faculty becomes a vehicle of expression for that evil attribute. The attribute is essentially spiritual and abstract, and the person is the means, the vessel, the garment – the medium – that expresses it in practice. When a person enclothes the attribute with his body, mouth, or mind, he becomes at that instant an instrument for impurity, a form of kelippa's expression in the world.
וְהֵן הֵם כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשִׂים תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ,
These constitute all the actions that are performed in this world, under the sun, The deeds, words, and thoughts that constitute an actualization of the animal soul's attributes include not only things that are commonly considered evil – thoughts, words, and acts of anger, of doing others harm, of rebellion against God, and so on – but comprise "all the actions that are performed under the sun" (an expression from Eccles. 1:14). Everything that can be found in the material world, everything that relates to the order of nature, that which constitutes the mundane, is encompassed in the phrase "under the sun."
אֲשֶׁר "הַכֹּל הֶבֶל וּרְעוּת רוּחַ״ וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר בְּשַׁלַּח (חלק ב נט, א), שֶׁהֵן תְּבִירוּ דְּרוּחָא כו׳.
which are "all futility and herding wind" (Eccles. 1:14), and as the Zohar , Parashat Beshalaḥ (2:59a), states regarding this verse, these actions are the "breaking of the spirit…." The plain meaning of the expression "herding wind" evokes the image of a shepherd who pursues wind, an apparition, something that does not exist. The Zohar lends a deeper layer of meaning to the Hebrew words for "herding wind," re'ut ru'aḥ, connecting re'ut to the word ro'a, to break, and interpreting the word ruaḥ as spirit instead of wind. This implies that the "actions that are performed under the sun" are all a ruination of the spirit, a blockage of the divine life force, an expression of kelippa, and a force that is contrary to that which is holy.
וְכֵן כָּל הַדִּבּוּרִים וְכָל הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא לַה׳ הֵמָּה וְלִרְצוֹנוֹ וְלַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ.
The same applies to all speech and thoughts that are not dedicated to God, His will, and His service. Not only blatant evil but also the entire array of material life and all that it entails is "futility and herding wind." There might be nothing inherently negative about these things, but their deficiency lies in that they are not directed toward "God, His will, and His service." They are merely matters that pertain to this world, bearing no divine meaning or direction. As such, they are relegated to the realm of the sitra aḥara.
שֶׁזֶּהוּ פֵּירוּשׁ לְשׁוֹן סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, פֵּירוּשׁ צַד אַחֵר שֶׁאֵינוֹ צַד הַקְּדוּשָּׁה.
This is the meaning of the term sitra aḥara , literally, "the other side," namely, anything that is not on the side of holiness. Sitra aḥara is the kabbalistic term for evil, but the expression literally means "the other side," that is, not the side of holiness. On the most basic level, there are two aspects to reality: the side of holiness and the other side. Unlike the domain of halakha, which contains a broad realm known as reshut, that which is neither virtuous nor sinful, neither mitzva nor transgression, in the kabbalistic division of reality, there is no middle ground. Nothing is truly neutral. There cannot be anything that does not relate, positively or negatively, to God. Anything that is not actively directed toward God is automatically of the other side.
וְצַד הַקְּדוּשָּׁה אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא הַשְׁרָאָה וְהַמְשָׁכָה מִקְּדוּשָּׁתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא,
The side of holiness in nothing other than the manifestation and channeling of the holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He. There is no inherent holiness other than that of God. This reality constitutes the nature of the side of holiness. Something might be of value in the practical sense, but it is not holy. Holiness belongs exclusively to God, and the side of holiness contains no realities that are inherently holy on their own, only realities that derive their holiness from God.
וְאֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שׁוֹרֶה אֶלָּא עַל דָּבָר שֶׁבָּטֵל אֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ,
The Holy One, blessed be He, dwells only within something that is abnegated to Him, The author of the Tanya explains elsewhere that the indwelling of the Divine Presence is not present in everything.
בֵּין בְּפוֹעַל מַמָּשׁ כְּמַלְאָכִים עֶלְיוֹנִים
whether actually and literally, as in the case of the supernal angels, The angels are holy because, as higher creatures, without corporeal bodies that obscure the Divine, they are exposed directly to the divine light. They have no identity of their own and exist in a perpetual state of complete abnegation to God.
בֵּין בְּכֹחַ כְּכָל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַטָּה
or whether potentially, as in the case of every Jew below. The Jew, as a physical being on earth, might not be in a state of self-abnegation at all times, but he possesses the potential to utterly negate his very existence to God.
שֶׁבְּכֹחוֹ לִהְיוֹת בָּטֵל מַמָּשׁ לְגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּמְסִירַת נַפְשׁוֹ עַל קְדוּשַּׁת ה׳.
He has the potential to actually submit to the Holy One, blessed be He, by sacrificing his life for the sake of sanctifying God's name. A Jew is holy, not because he is more clever, more compassionate, or more successful, but because he has the capacity to negate himself to God. Elsewhere, the author of the Tanya describes a Jew as one who, at a moment of truth, is prepared to sacrifice his life rather than disrupt, even for a moment, his bond with God.
וְלָכֵן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ אֶחָד שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה שְׁכִינָה שְׁרוּיָה כו׳ (אבות פרק ג משנה ו),
Therefore, our Rabbis stated that "even when only one person sits and engages in Torah study, the Divine Presence is with him…" (Mishna Avot 3:6). When a Jew studies Torah, he realizes this potential, nullifying himself to the divine wisdom that he enclothes and in which he is enclothed. At such a time, the Divine Presence actually dwells in him. The author of the Tanya refers specifically to Torah study as a means of abnegating oneself to God.
וְכָל בֵּי עֲשָׂרָה שְׁכִינְתָּא שַׁרְיָא לְעוֹלָם (סנהדרין לט, א).
Moreover, "the Divine Presence always dwells in any place where there are ten Jews" (Sanhedrin 39a). Even if the ten Jews are not actually studying Torah, the Divine Presence dwells with them. Ten Jews together have the potential to constitute a minyan, a quorum that can recite prayers sanctifying God's name. Wherever ten Jews congregate, even if they are unaware of their holiness, even if they defile it, the Divine Presence, as well as the supernal congregation of Israel referred to as Kenesset Yisrael (essentially a gathering of the collective's souls), dwells with them.
אֲבָל כָּל מַה שֶּׁאֵינוֹ בָּטֵל אֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, אֶלָּא הוּא דָּבָר נִפְרָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ,
However, anything that is not abnegated to God, but rather is its own, independent entity, How the entity defines itself is irrelevant, whether it considers its own worth as great or insignificant, as lofty or lowly. The point is that it relates to itself as a distinct entity, as something other and separate from God.
אֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל חַיּוּת מִקְּדוּשָּׁתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, מִבְּחִינַת פְּנִימִית הַקְּדוּשָּׁה וּמַהוּתָהּ וְעַצְמוּתָהּ בִּכְבוֹדָהּ וּבְעַצְמָהּ, אֶלָּא מִבְּחִינַת אֲחוֹרַיִים,
does not receive its life force from the holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He, from the inner aspect, essence, and core of holiness in all its glory. Rather, it receives its life force from the back side of God's will. Ultimately, such an entity does receive life and existence from God because there is no created being that is not sustained by His power, no existence that is not derived from His existence. But it does not receive its vitality from the inner or "front" aspect of God's holiness, but rather only from the back side. God is the sole source of existence in all its forms and manifestations. Yet there is a profound difference between an existence that is sustained from the inner holiness of God, because the entity desires God and God desires it, and an existence where the being does not desire a bond with God and the complete self-abnegation it requires. In that case, the entity receives its vitality, not from the core of the divine will, but from its external element or "back."
שֶׁיּוֹרְדִים מִמַּדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה רִבְבוֹת מַדְרֵגוֹת בְּהִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת הָעוֹלָמוֹת דֶּרֶךְ עִלָּה וְעָלוּל וְצִמְצוּמִים רַבִּים,
This life force descends level by level through myriad levels, in the unfolding succession of the worlds by way of cause and effect and numerous constrictions, The divine life force that derives from the back side, or the external aspect of the divine will, passes through a multiphased process of concealment and diminution known as the unfolding succession of the worlds. These worlds, or levels of reality, devolve one from the other, descending like the links of a chain, the top of one world linked through the bottom of the one above it. Each world derives from its predecessor not by a quantum leap but by a link of cause and effect. This serves to even further conceal the divine source of creation.
עַד שֶׁנִּתְמַעֵט כָּל כָּךְ הָאוֹר וְהַחַיּוּת מִיעוּט אַחַר מִיעוּט עַד שֶׁיָּכוֹל לְהִתְצַמְצֵם וּלְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בִּבְחִינַת גָּלוּת תּוֹךְ אוֹתוֹ דָּבָר הַנִּפְרָד
until the light and life force become so diminished, diminution upon diminution, that they may be constricted and clothed, in exile, within that independent entity Each link in the chain of the unfolding succession of the worlds is a screen that dims the light of the divine life force, until at the last screen only the life force that sustains that specific entity in this reality is manifest. The divine element that is the inner source of every creation is blurred or completely obscured, and the divine light can then be said to be in exile. It is not apparent to that created entity that it receives its life from the divine life force that grants it life and sustains it. It might even deny its very existence. A person in exile is someone who finds himself in a place where he does not want to be and is forced to remain there and operate under alien and confining circumstances. While there, he is compelled to function through the place's "garments" – his material lifestyle, thought processes, culture, and other garments of his soul – which neither belong to him nor does he want anything to do with them. In this sense, the divine light that sustains the material world is in exile. It has descended through worlds and undergone numerous constrictions that obscure the Divine and make it possible for a created entity to even deny its existence, even though the Divine is that entity's source of life and it could not be alive otherwise.
לְהַחֲיוֹתוֹ וּלְקַיְּימוֹ מֵאַיִן לְיֵשׁ שֶׁלֹּא יַחֲזוֹר לִהְיוֹת אַיִן וְאֶפֶס כְּבַתְּחִלָּה מִקּוֹדֶם שֶׁנִּבְרָא.
to grant it life and sustain it, bringing it forth from nothingness into existence, in order that it not revert to absolute nothingness, as it was prior to its creation. Every entity, including the creation that considers itself a thing in its own right, separate from God, requires the divine light to keep it alive and grant it its very existence. In view of this, holiness and kelippa are not antagonists in essence but are two sides of the same reality. It is a reality that has both a facet that is conscious of its divine source, as well as kelippa, which also receives its life force and existence from the same holy source, though it is unaware of it.
וְלָכֵן נִקְרָא עוֹלָם הַזֶּה וּמְלוֹאוֹ עוֹלַם הַקְּלִיפּוֹת וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא.
Therefore, this world, and all that it contains, is referred to as the world of the kelippot and sitra aḥara . As a rule, the physical world and the creatures that inhabit it, including mankind, do perceive themselves as a separate reality that is not subordinate to God. In the spiritual worlds, the inner core of holiness occupies a greater and more prominent part of that world, so the Divine is sensed and manifest more clearly. Our world is not only more tactile but also lower down on the chain from the divine source, consisting almost entirely of kelippa and sitra aḥara. Overall, this world is primarily a world of the other side, a world in which holiness is not manifest at all and the other side dominates.
וְלָכֵן כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה עוֹלָם הַזֶּה קָשִׁים וְרָעִים וְהָרְשָׁעִים גּוֹבְרִים בּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּ״עֵץ חַיִּים״ שַׁעַר מ"ב סוֹף פֶּרֶק ד׳.
As a result, all affairs of this world are harsh and evil, and the wicked are dominant in it, as stated in Etz Ḥayyim 42, end of chapter 4. Here the author of the Tanya quotes the conception expressed in the kabbalistic work Etz Ḥayyim, whose general view of our world seems to be one of hardened realism, even pessimism. Ours is a world characterized by an almost total concealment of the Divine, a world whose visible components are overwhelmingly kelippa and sitra aḥara. It is small wonder that it is not filled with brightness and light.
הַגָּהָה: עִם הֱיוֹת בְּתוֹכוֹ עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דַּעֲשִׂיָּה דִּקְדוּשָּׁה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּ״עֵץ חַיִּים״ שַׁעַר מ"ג, וּבְתוֹךְ עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דַּעֲשִׂיָּה אֵלּוּ הֵן עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דִּיצִירָה, וּבְתוֹכָן עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דִּבְרִיאָה, וּבְתוֹכָן עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דַּאֲצִילוּת שֶׁבְּתוֹכָן אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְנִמְצָא אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ הַלָּזוֹ הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה עַל יְדֵי הִתְלַבְּשׁוּתוֹ בְּעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דְּאַרְבַּע עוֹלָמוֹת – אֲצִילוּת בְּרִיאָה יְצִירָה עֲשִׂיָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּ״עֵץ חַיִּים״ שַׁעַר מ״ז פֶּרֶק ב׳ וּבְ״סֵפֶר גִּלְגּוּלִים״ פֶּרֶק כ׳.
Gloss: Yet this world does contain within it the ten holy sefirot of the world of Asiya , as stated in Etz Ḥayyim 43, and subsumed within these ten sefirot of Asiya are the ten sefirot of the world of Yetzira , and subsumed within them are the ten sefirot of the world of Beria , and subsumed within them are the ten sefirot of the world of Atzilut , within which is the light of Ein Sof . Consequently, the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, permeates this entire lower world through its being clothed in the ten sefirot of the four worlds, Atzilut , Beria , Yetzira , and Asiya , as stated in Etz Ḥayyim 47:2 and in Sefer Gilgulim, chapter 20. This gloss, which is based on a teaching from Etz Ḥayyim, explains that notwithstanding the darkness enshrouding this world, in its deepest depths there exists a tiny, inner point of sublime holiness. To be more precise, it is not a mere point; it is a beam of the light of Ein Sof that threads its way through each of the worlds at the degree of holiness extant in each of them. The view presented here maintains that each world and level of existence possesses ten holy sefirot that are manifest according to that world's spiritual level, from the corporeal world of Asiya all the way up to the most sublime world of Atzilut. Thus, the ten sefirot of each world are linked to the ten sefirot of Atzilut and its loftiest point, the sefira of Ḥokhma – a level that is impervious to the pernicious touch of any kelippa. It is clear that the aforementioned beam of light likewise refers to the constricted beam that channels the light of Ein Sof into all the worlds through Ḥokhma and the other sefirot, from Atzilut to Beria, down to Yetzira, and finally, to the corporeal world of Asiya. Despite this deep descent, the beam remains intact, so to speak, and in view of this, whatever initially descended can reascend in the same way. It may not reascend immediately, nor is its reascent inevitable, yet the potential to do so exists. The constriction, or descent, of the beam of divine light itself creates the potential for its own subsequent reascent and expansion at a future point in time; it creates a connection between the worlds and the Divine that allows for both descent from above and ascent from below. Most significantly, at this very moment, it is already forming the wondrous reality in which this polarity coexists: the lowest descent and yet the opportunity for the highest ascent. Whether or not the ascent will occur is dependent on us: Will there be meaning and justification for all the suffering and extreme concealment? Will it result in the revelation that justifies it all? Is this revelation already emerging now, as we speak, to the extent that we will be able to say, in the World to Come, "Indeed, it was very difficult, but it was worthwhile"?
אֶלָּא שֶׁהַקְּלִיפּוֹת הֵן נֶחֱלָקוֹת לִשְׁתֵּי מַדְרֵגוֹת זוֹ לְמַטָּה מִזּוֹ.
However, the kelippot are divided into two categories, one lower than the other. Both the kelippot and the sitra aḥara possess a distinct lack of holiness. From this perspective, these terms are interchangeable. Yet each expression conveys a different aspect of this absence. Kelippa indicates that it is an external, extrinsic element, serving as a peel or husk for the fruit, protecting and preserving the inner content. By contrast, sitra aḥara is a generalized description, expressing only the concept of what this realm is not – not holy but "other." We do not speak of various levels in a phenomenon that is defined solely in terms of what it is not. There is only the side of holiness and the other side. Kelippa, on the other hand, expresses what it is, describing the function of the nonholy elements of creation. In this context, we can distinguish between various forms of this function and discuss two primary levels of kelippa.
הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה הִיא שָׁלֹשׁ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת וְרָעוֹת לְגַמְרֵי וְאֵין בָּהֶם טוֹב כְּלָל, וְנִקְרְאוּ בְּמֶרְכֶּבֶת יְחֶזְקֵאל (יחזקאל א, ד): "רוּחַ סְעָרָה״, וְ״עָנָן גָּדוֹל״
The lower level of kelippa is comprised of the three utterly impure and evil kelippot , containing no good whatsoever. In Ezekiel's vision of the divine chariot, they are referred to as "storm wind," "great cloud," and "fire igniting"
וגו׳, וּמֵהֶן נִשְׁפָּעוֹת וְנִמְשָׁכוֹת נַפְשׁוֹת כָּל אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם וְקִיּוּם גּוּפָם, וְנַפְשׁוֹת כָּל בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים הַטְּמֵאִים וַאֲסוּרִים בַּאֲכִילָה וְקִיּוּם גּוּפָם, וְקִיּוּם וְחַיּוּת כָּל מַאֲכָלוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת מֵהַצּוֹמֵחַ, כְּמוֹ עָרְלָה וְכִלְאֵי הַכֶּרֶם כו׳, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּ״עֵץ חַיִּים" שַׁעַר מ״ט פֶּרֶק ו׳.
(Ezek. 1:4). From these three impure kelippot issue forth and are drawn down the souls of all the nations of the world and the sustaining force of their bodies, as well as the souls of the impure living creatures, whose consumption is prohibited, and the sustaining force of their bodies. The existence and life force of all prohibited vegetable foods, such as orla , the fruit of a tree in its first three years, and kilei hakerem , mixtures of diverse kinds in a vineyard, and so on, also stem from these kelippot, as stated in Etz Ḥayyim 49:6. The author of the Tanya elaborates on the three impure kelippot that he alluded to briefly in chapter 1. They are what he calls the lower level of kelippa, based on a vision perceived by the prophet Ezekiel. These kelippot are utterly evil, and they are the root of whatever manifests itself as evil.
וְכֵן קִיּוּם וְחַיּוּת כָּל הַמַּעֲשֶׂה דִּבּוּר וּמַחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁל כָּל שס״ה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה וְעַנְפֵיהֶן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב שָׁם סוֹף פֶּרֶק ה׳.
Likewise, the existence and life force of every action, spoken word, and thought that constitute a transgression of each of the 365 prohibitions and their corollaries, stem from the three kelippot, as stated there, in Etz Ḥayyim 49, end of chapter 5. As the author of the Tanya will go on to explain in the next chapter, the Jew's connection to the three utterly impure kelippot is manifest through the prohibitions detailed in the Torah. At his essence and nature, a Jew bears no relation to these impure kelippot, since his animal soul stems from the other level of kelippa, kelippat noga,